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My mister, also an aikidoka, got his knees torn up pretty bad during our dojo's New Years class. He says it really hurts too much to train right now. Any suggestions on pain relief, taping strategies or simply how to motivate him to train thru the pain?

Training through the pain of injury is merely an invitation to turn an acute injury into a chronic injury. Since none of us can see or feel him, we cannot actually diagnose his injury. He should start with rest, ice, compression, elevation. If it is a soft tissue injury (muscle, tendon, ligament), my understanding is that the natural history of repair = 6 to 8 weeks.

It's just scabs b/c he tore the skin off on the mat. I'm the one with the occasional flare-up of knee tendonitis, which I'm keeping under fairly good control so long as the tracking on my knee is good.

At least we now know what "spiky knees" are. I had no clue. So yeah, rest abrasions and wear knee pads. Do knee work in moderation after they are healed up. There is an old product on the market called "cornhusker's lotion" that is pretty good for toughening skin. I don't recall if that is a brand name or a type of lotion, but it is a fairly effective product and should be available in your local pharmacy.

Actually, I heard of a guy who had some kind of therapy done to make his knee re-grow its own cartilage. Don't know how that worked. I'd like to find out more about that. I could probably use some extra cartilage....

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu